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Amazon recently updated its 8-inch tablet line with two new Fire devices for youngsters – the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro.
The concept of a Fire Kids tablet is nothing new. For nearly a decade now Amazon has taken its standard Fire tablet and combined that screen and performance with a chunky case and more limited software specifically geared toward kids.
The Kids Pro models, meanwhile, have only been around since 2021. While the “Pro” moniker typically refers to phones and tablets that offer more powerful specs next to their non-Pro counterparts, Amazon actually uses the term to signal a tablet aimed at older kids aged 6 to 12.
This means the Pro tablets require a bit less padding as well as slightly looser parental controls than the standard Kids tablets for children aged 3 to 7.
Read on to find out exactly what this entails, along with all the key differences between the two 8-inch tablets…
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro have identical designs and dimensions outside of their cases, including the same chunky black bezel and centred camera placement.
Both tablets also come with two 2-megapixel cameras – one on the front for selfies and video calls and another on the back for snapping photos. Both cameras support 720p HD video.
The biggest difference in design is the case that comes included with each model. While both tablets come with colourful cases designed to protect against drops and bumps, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids ships with the Kid-Proof Case whereas the Kids Pro comes with a Kid-Friendly Case.
The Kid-Proof Case is larger and chunkier than the Kid-Friendly Case with 9g more weight to it, but both cases come with an adjustable kickstand so kids can prop the laptop up to watch movies and play games.
Our reviewer noted that it’d be a challenge to harm the Fire HD 8 Kids by dropping it on hard floors or down the stairs, but there’s no water or dust-resistance rating so you’ll probably want to keep it out of the bathroom. The same applies to the Pro model, but this tablet comes with more accessible contrast-coloured power and volume controls.
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro have identical displays. Both are 8-inch screens with HD resolutions of 1280 x 800 and 189ppi.
We found that both tablets offered decent brightness levels but colours were dull and flat and the tablet was too reflective to use in direct sunlight.
Both the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro are powered by the same six-core MediaTek CPU, which we found offered mediocre performance for demanding games but was perfectly fast enough to run kids’ titles like Sonic Dash 2 and Cut the Rope.
Both tablets also come with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage expandable up to 1TB.
Software is where these two tablets really begin to differ. Both tablets come with a 1-year subscription to Amazon Kids+, which includes thousands of age-appropriate ad-free apps, games, books, videos, songs and audiobooks and features content from Disney, Nickelodeon, Peppa Pig, National Geographic, Collins Big Cat, Lego and more.
Both tablets also give parents the ability to add specific apps and content to their child’s profile, such as Minecraft or Zoom.
However, the Kids Pro has two tabs – one with the Kids UI for easy access to games and apps and another that looks something closer to the regular Fire OS home screen for access to apps like Audible and Amazon Music if you’re a subscriber.
The Parent Dashboard is where the parental controls live. With the Kids Pro, children can request games and books from a digital shop for parents to approve or deny using the online Parent Dashboard. In the Fire HD 8 Kids’ case, kids aren’t able to access social media or make any in-app purchases without parental approval. The Parent Dashboard also allows parents to filter content based on their child’s age and to set educational goals and time limits.
When it comes to the internet, both Fire tablets feature a restricted web browser. However, where the Kids Pro gives older children filtered access to the web, allowing them to browse independently while still blocking inappropriate sites, the Fire HD 8 Kids only lets kids visit a few hand-picked sites for a more closely-guarded experience which we found felt less like a browser as links were needed to access it.
Finally, both the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro offer around 10 to 13 hours of battery life, meaning you likely won’t need to charge it every day.
The tablets charge via USB-C.
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids and the Amazon Fire HD Kids Pro are two near-identical tablets with two different age groups in mind.
If you need a tablet that can handle some wear and tear and offers a more restricted experience for a younger child, get the Fire HD 8 Kids. For those looking to give an older child aged 6 to 12 a bit more freedom while still ensuring they browse safely, look toward the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro.
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Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Products tested and reviewed since 2003
